T.J. Ward doesn’t want to just be a part of a good Broncos secondary. He’s seeking greatness.

“We’re light years ahead of where we were last year,” Ward said Friday, the team’s second day of training camp. “I want (us) to lead the league in interceptions. I want (us) to lead the league in sacks from the secondary and lead the league in turnovers.”

Led by three Pro Bowlers — cornerbacks Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib, and Ward — the Broncos have the talent. Now it’s a matter of execution. Even with all their accolades, their perceived slight from being left off the NFL Top 100 list should prevent them from being complacent.

Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders was laid out by Stephon Gilmore in Sunday’s game at Sports Authority Field. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

Emmanuel Sanders has taken his share of rough hits this season, and last Sunday’s game against Buffalo at Sports Authority Field was no exception.

Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore popped Sanders in the second quarter as he went up for a catch, causing another concussion scare for the Broncos’ receiver. Trainers came out to check on him, but he quickly stood up, took a bow and returned to the game.

Gilmore, meanwhile, was flagged for defensive interference and Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes, who got into it with some Broncos players because he disagreed with the call, was called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Bills safety Aaron Williams also started jawing at the Broncos’ sideline and got into it with defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, who had a few words about Williams after the game.

Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders was laid out by Stephon Gilmore in Sunday’s game at Sports Authority Field. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)

“First of all, if you hit a guy and it’s a football play and you didn’t mean to do it, (then) show some sportsmanship,” Knighton told reporters after the game. “You know, when you’re not that elite of a player to be jawing to our sideline, and if that’s your way of getting your team into the game, then I feel bad for your team. Just play the game within the rules and don’t come on the sideline acting like your intent is to hurt players because that shouldn’t be how it is. Players are a fraternity, and I don’t even believe he was the guy that hit him, so I don’t know what his argument was.”

The part fans and media didn’t hear? When Williams went over to Sanders and said Gilmore was trying to take him out.

Eric Hagg, a third-year NFL safety, notified the Broncos he plans to retire.

Hagg, 24, played at Nebraska before he became a seventh-round pick of the Cleveland Browns and then-general manager Tom Heckert in the 2011 draft.

Hagg played in 11 games as a rookie and 12 in his second season of 2012, including four as a starter. However, the Browns cleaned house after the 2012 season. Heckert became the Broncos’ director of pro personnel while Hagg was waived by the Browns prior to the 2013 season.

Michael Thomas was on the 49ers’ practice squad just days before he saved Sunday’s game for the Dolphins. (Associated Press file)

This one comes via email from Chris Hatfield, and it’s particularly relevant considering the player who snagged Tom Brady’s potential touchdown pass in the end zone for the Dolphins on Sunday had been playing on San Francisco’s practice squad just a few days earlier. Michael Thomas’ is definitely a feel-good story, both for him and for the Dolphins, but it’s hard to imagine that the Broncos will follow a similar path in poaching a player.

More injury news dominated the Broncos’ week leading up to their matchup against the Patriots on Sunday at New England. What should have been Wes Welker’s tearful reunion with his former team was called into jeopardy after he suffered a concussion, and the Broncos were also forced to shuffle and add players at safety after Rahim Moore was placed on IR. The more positive news, at least for Denver: the Patriots opened as home underdogs for the first time since 2005. The last time Tom Brady and company were home underdogs, Peyton Manning’s Colts delivered them a thorough beatdown.

Monday: Following up the team’s big win over the Chiefs on Sunday, the focus was more on injuries than the division standings. Tight end Julius Thomas was ruled as day-to-day with a knee injury, Welker was diagnosed with a concussion, and Jack Del Rio revealed that Moore had undergone surgery for compartment syndrome. The syndrome is a serious one, and Moore left Sunday’s game with what the team termed a lower-leg injury. It wasn’t until late in the night after the game that Moore awoke in pain, called the Broncos’ trainer and was hospitalized.

As of Monday night, placing safety Rahim Moore on season-ending injured reserve was a distinct possibility for the Broncos.

Moore had emergency surgery Monday morning to repair lateral compartment syndrome, a bleeding of the muscle in his left shin/calf area.

It’s a blow to the Broncos’ defense as until he was removed in the second quarter with leg pain against the Kansas City Chiefs, Moore was leading the defense in playing time by far with 98.8 percent of the snaps. Chris Harris was next with 92.7 percent.

NFL teams don’t often practice in full pads late in the season, but Broncos players said there was a lot of hitting going on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s division-round playoff game against visiting Baltimore.

“Whether you’re a starter, non-starter, backup, Pro Bowler — everybody’s working hard. You would have thought it was a game out there today in practice,” he added. “It was high intensity. There were a lot of pads popping, a lot of guys making plays. Everybody came out ready to play.”

[/media-credit] Tight end Heath Miller of the Pittsburgh Steelers makes a reception to the 3-yard line and is taken down by Rahim Moore, right, of the Denver Broncos in the first half during the NFL season opener at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Sept. 9, 2012.

Broncos safety Rahim Moore was fined $21,000 for a hit in the team’s season-opening win over the Steelers. Moore was flagged for unnecessary roughness in the fourth quarter after a collision with Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Moore was cited by the league for striking a defenseless player in the head and neck area.

UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX STADIUM — When Jim Leonhard arrived in Denver just over a week into the preseason, he said he was hoping to be healthy enough to play in the season opener.

Leonhard appears to be ahead of schedule. The newly-signed safety started Thursday’s preseason finale at Arizona. The Broncos’ normal starters, Rahim Moore and Mike Adams, were given the night off.

Leonhard had surgery to repair a torn patellar tendon last December. He was activated off the Broncos’ physically unable to perform list on Aug. 21.

Quinton Carter also made his preseason debut for the Broncos Thursday. Carter, who started 10 games as a rookie last year, injured his knee and hamstring in the team’s second training camp practice in late July.

Moore, Adams and Carter figure to be locks to make the 53-man roster at safety. The Broncos staff will likely have a tough call to make on Leonhard and David Bruton. Bruton, who started both playoff games for the Broncos last year, is one of the team’s top special teams players. The team does not usually keep five safeties on the 53-man roster.

Four days after he was cleared to return to practice, safety Jim Leonhard continues to see more work with the Broncos’ defense and special teams.

This practice is good for both Leonhard, a veteran safety who signed with the Broncos Aug. 5, and the Broncos, as they try to envision where Leonhard will fit.

“I didn’t focus on him, specifically, but some of the coaches said that he fit in,” defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio said Friday afternoon. “You can tell he has great awareness and anticipation of things. We’ll continue to get him worked into it.”

Leonhard is expected to compete for a spot as a sure-tackling strong safety as well as punt returner. Friday marked Leonhard’s first practice in pads — albeit shoulder pads only — since joining the Broncos. He was activated off the physically unable to perform list on Tuesday.

“I thought he moved around well, and we’ll take that slow just like we are with all our injured players,” coach John Fox said. “When they’re deemed ready to play, we’ll play them.”

Nicki Jhabvala is a Broncos beat writer for The Denver Post. She was previously the digital news editor for sports. Before arriving in Denver, she spent five years at Sports Illustrated working primarily as its online NBA editor. She also spent two years as a home page editor at the New York Times.